The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-07-29
II H EF
FRIDAY :
THE PLANTERS MONTHLY. -

The Planters Monthly for July has
been laid on our table, and as usual is
full of valuable information. A letter
from LaupahOehoe contains an interest
ing account of Hawaiian mills and their
work. We extract the following from an
article on "The Future of Cane Plant
ing"
Low prices of sugar still prevail, and re-
main low with discOuraging persistency :;
so that the hopes we once entertained of
seeing again the days of fiOurishing pros
perity fade out utterly into the dark, and
many a man who once thought himself as
sured of reasonable wealth through sugar,
now finds that it will not even yield him a
competence. Under existing conditions in
Hawaii, as a whole, sugar is not remunera-
tive.
In addition to the low price of sugar, we
must not forget another-the undoubted
decrease of yield consequent on the grad
ually impaired fertility of the soil. In GER
tain localities the land will not WELD more
than half what it once did, and it is already
serious question whether it can be made
to return the cost of cultivation. As the
years go on this difficulty must increase
and will be met, if met at all, only at con-
siderable expense for artificial fertilizers,
which will thus increase the cost of the re-
sulting sugar. Thus far, however in many
districts, no practical fertilizer has been
found which will produce the desired re-
suits, and the question now stands: VIII
1t pay to cultivate our fields for the two
or haf uya GOT off of
The situation stated above makes it fair
ly evident that the planter must make
some very considerable reduction in ex-
pense if he would hope to make any money
out of sugar.
BY all means the largest item of planta-
ton expense is that of unSkilled labor. Not
only is it the largest, but it exceeds all
others put together, and thus forces itself
on our attention as the most important di-
rection in which economy should be in
stituted. From figures made up from
monthly reports, we find that, in the case
of one plantation under good management
the cost of unskilled labor is 63 per cent of
the total yearly expenditure; while in the
fields alone, which is the case of the planter
who is concerned only with the raising of
the cane, the proportion of unskjlled labor
to the whole expense is IS per cent. In this
particular case a reduction of 81 in the
monthly wages would have decreased the
expense, and consequently increased the
profits by $4,000.
1t is very well to economic in the hun
dred aad one other things that, with labor,
constitute plantation expense; to struggle
for an eighth of cent in rice or bags, or
ten cents ton onfreights, or a few dollars
in rents, insurance or salaries; but all
these things, even in the aggregate, do not
very materially influence the result, and
are utterly overbalanCed and swamped by
the tremendous single item of unskilled
labor So long as that remains out of all
proportion, both to the rates prevailing in
other sugar-grOwing countries and the or
binary profits of sugar in this it Will be
comparatively futile to seek to squeeze
large profits out of small economies, how
ever wise. and worthy these may be in
themselves. The times, the circumstances
and conditions of sugar in Hawaii demand
lower prices for labor.
Very worthy of attention. as looking this
way, is the attempt now being made by the
Planters Labor and Supply Company to
arrange such unity of action among plant
ers as shall lead to considerable reduo-
ton in the cost of Chinese unshipped la
Dor, and put such labor on something like
a uniform basis throughout the country.